Regenerator for metallurgical furnaces.



. T. L. HOLLE. REGENERATOR FOE METALLURGIGAL FURNACES. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 18, 191?. 1,75%, Patented 0015.21, 1913.

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THEODQR L- HOLLE' BEGEKBRATOE FOB. METALLURGICAL FURNACES.

APPLIGATION FILEI) J'AN.18, 19'13.

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wve wto z THE-ODOR vL- HOLLE T. L. HOLLE. REGENERATOR FOR METALLURGICAL FURNACES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.1B, 191s.

Patented Oct. 21, 1913.

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THEODOR LUDOLPH HOLLE, or an. Louis, ivrr'ssotint.

REGENERA'EOR FOR METALLURGICAL FURNACES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented @ct. 221i,

Application filed January 18, 1913. Serial No. 742,92.

To all whom it may c0aocrn Be it known that I, Tnnonon L. Home, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, resid' ing at St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Regenerators for Metallurgical Furnaces, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to regenerators for metallurgical furnaces and has for its primary object to provide improved means for preheating the air or gas which is admitted to the furnace, and thus maintaining a sufiiciently high degree of heat within the furnace for the reduction of the metals.

Another object of my invention is to provide in a regenerator of the above type, alternately arranged gas and air flues whereby the products of combustion travel. through a circuitous course from the furnace to the stack and thus heat the incoming air which is moving in an opposite direction through the adjacent flues for mixture with the oil or fuel gas which is admitted to the furnace.

Still another object of the invention is to produce a regenerator so constructed that a relatively large number of fines may be arranged in a comparatively restricted space.

A further object of the invention is to provide structural units of novel design to permit of the construction of the fines of the regenerator of any desired capacity.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a regenerator for metallurgical furnaces which is of comparatively simple and economical construction and 'which will maintain a maximum heat temperature from a minimum consumption of fuel.

With the above and other objects in view as will become apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain constructions, combinations and arrangements of the parts that I shall hereinafter fully describe and claim.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following de scription and accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a metal lurgical furnace provided with my improved regenerator; Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof; Fig. 3 is a sectiontaken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 5; Fig. t is a section taken on the line 4:--4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4; Fig. 7 is a section taken on the line 77 of Fig. 4; Fig. 8 is a section taken on the line -88 of Fig. 4:; Fig. 9 is a section taken on the line 99 of Fig. 4; and Figs. 10 to 15 inclusive, illustrate the structural units used in building the regenerator fines.

Referring in detail to the drawings, 5

designates a metallurgical furnace which ficiently high temperature in the furnace to produce a neutral or reducing action. The present invention is designed to overcome this defect and to preheat the air or gases introduced into the furnace to a high degree. In order to produce this highly heated incoming current of air or gas, I provide a plurality of circuitous passages or fines alternately arranged for the passage of air and gas in opposite directions so that the outgoing products of combustion passing from the furnace .to the stack will highly heat the flue walls, and the air traveling in the opposite direction through the adjacent fines is heated in proportion to the temperature of said walls so that at the time said air enters the furnace it has attained such a high temperature that its mixture with the oil or fuel gas causes a partial combustion, and thus maintains a maximum degree of heat within the furnace.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a regenerator which consists of front, end

and side walls 8 of suitable height upon alternate fines 13 serving as a passage for the gas while the remaining lines 14 provide a passage for the incoming air. It will. be noted as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 7 that the air and gas travel in opposite directions. The upper tier of fines have their top'walls constructed of the building blocks or units 15 shown in detail in Figs. 10.and 15, and these top walls of the air fiues 14 at their forward ends terminate short of the bridge wall 12, to provide openings 16 affording communication between said air fines and the chamber 11. The rear ends of these walls are suitably mounted and secured upon the rear vertical wall 8 of the generator. The upper walls of the remaining fines in the uppermost tier, however, extend at their forward ends through openings 17 provided in the lower edge of the bridge wall 12. The blocks 15 are channeled or rabbeted at their opposite longitudinal edges, as indicated at 18, to receive the upper and lower edges of the side wall blocks 19 of the lines. These side wall blocks have their vertical end edges'rabbeted as shown at 20 so that when assembled they will form a lap joint as clearly shown in Fig. 7. The upper walls of the remaining tiers or fiues'are alternately spaced from the front and rear end walls of the structure as shown' in Fig. 5 and these wall blocks are of the form illustrated in Figs. '13 and 14 of the drawings.

The block 21 which is provided with the ribs 22 upon its opposite faces is used at one terminal of the wall which is spaced from the end wall of the regenerator as shown in Fig. 4 to afford communication between the superposed series of fines. The remaining upper wall blocks of the lower lines are of the form shown in Fig. 14 and are designated by thetgiumeral 23.

it will be observed that the ribs on= the blocks 21 terminate short of one end of said blocks while the longitudinal ribs 24 provided upon opposite faces of the blocks 23 extend the entire length thereof. These ribs support the vertically disposed blocks 19 which are arranged between the upper and lower wall blocks 21 and 23, the opposed ribs on adjacent blocks being in con tact as shown in Fig. 3. At the ends of the upper and lower series of fines which communicate, the vertical blocks 25 are arranged. These blocks as shown in Fig. 11 are of slightly different form from the blocks 19 and are rabbeted upon only one of tluir ends edges as shown at 26, the other edges of said blocks being set into the vertical walls of the structure.

The bottom wall blocks 27 of the lowermost series of fines are A the ordinary rectangular form and are supported upon the foundation walls 28. At the forward end of this lower series of Hum, :11. air inlet flue 29 is provided in the wall 8, and comd municate with the adjacent fines of the lower series. Ailue 30 is built along one side of the rear generator and the remaining fines of said lower series open into the flue 30 through the wall 8, the products of combustion finding an outlet through said latter lines to the furnace stack.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. t and 5 of the drawings, it willbe observed that the gases ent..r the generator from the outlet flues 6 of the furnace and pass into the alternate flues 13 of the upper series. This waste gas travels to the rear end of said fines and passes downwardly into the corresponding fines of the next lower series, then forwardly and downwardly again to the next succeeding series of fines until they finally pass forwardly through the lower series of fines and out of the regenerator through the flue 30. It will be obvious that this waste gas is gradually cooled by contact with the walls of these fines while on the other hand, said fines walls become highly heated, the temperature degree gradually decreasing from .the upper tier of lines to the lower tier. It will be apparent, however,

that as the waste ases are retained within the generator for a comparatively long time, by causing the same to follow a circuitous passage to the outlet flue, practically all of the heat units are extracted from the gas. The incoming cold air enters through the flue 29 into the alternate fines of the lower tier. and also travels through a circuitous passage in the same manner as the gas until the air finally enters the chamber 11 at the top of the generator from which it is drawn by the furnace draft up the intake flue or passages 7 for mixture with theoil or fuel gas. air will be highly heated by this contact with the, walls of the fines.

In Fig. 4 of the drawings, 1 have applied to the various portions of the several com municating flues, the approximate degree of temperature which the flue walls will gradually attain. It will be noted therefrom, that the difference in temperature between the flue walls and the incoming air will be practically uniform, the air gradually increasing in temperature as it passes through the fines.

From the foregoing, it is believed that the construction and several advantages of my improved heat regenerator will be fully understood. By utilizing the waste gases to heat the incoming air, a maximum percentage of heat energy is obtained from a minimum consumption of fuel. it will also be appreciated that by means of myinvention, coarser grades of fuel may be used, thus minimizing the expense incident to the opcration of the furnace. By providing the circuitom Hues through which the oppositely upwardly evee-2e traveling air and heated gas pass, a very high temperature degree will be maintained in the furnace, Without necessitating any in crease in the consumption of fuel.

While I have herein described the preferred construction of the invention, it is to be understood that in putting the same into practice, I am not-necessarily limited to the specific form and proportions illustrated in the drawings, but reserve the right to make such alterations therein as may be deemed desirable, Without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advan-- tages of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed is:

1. Aheat regenerator for furnaces comprising a plurality of circuitous flues, means for supplying air to the alternate flues at one of their ends, said regenerator being {no vided With a gas receiving chamber located above said flues at one of their ends, the remaining flues opening into said chamber, a flue connecting said chamber with-the furnace to supply Waste gas thereto, said regenerator having a second chamber extending over the fines for substantially their entire length, said air fiues at their upper ends opening into said chamber, a bridge Wall arranged between the top Wall of the regenopening into a common air receiving cham-v ber, a gas receiving chamber and a flue connecting the same With the furnace to supply waste gas thereto, a bridge Wall separating said gas chamber from the air chamber, the remainder of said circuitous fines being in communication at their upper ends with said gas chamber, a gas receiving flue communicating With the lower ends of said latter circuitous fines to conduct the Waste gas from the generator, the as and air traveling in opposite directions through the adjacent circuitous fines, and a flue connecting said air receiving chamber with the furnace to supply the heated air thereto.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses THEODOR LUDOLPH HOLLIS. Witnesses:

Josnrrr L. VOGLER, EDWARD G. KOLLMEIER. 

